When I picked this rig up it was sort of on a whim, I had a choice between this and a 98 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the V8. I didn't know anything about this particular era of 4Runner, but it was a Toyota. That means something right? I'm not so sure, Ha Ha. I will always look back on that choice and wonder. I've just been using this 4Runner for over 5 years now and sort of feeling it out, learning it's quirks and deciding if I wanted to do anything with it. I've decided that I want a lightweight (for a vehicle anyway) camping and mild trail rig and I think this will do.
How I bought it, note the forward rake, peeling clearcoat and the cracked Bondo over the rear wheel.
It started out pretty rough. It came from the Portland area and had been owned by a HS student who was heading off to college. He seemed pretty overwhelmed by all of its issues and the fact it wouldn't pass DEQ. I didn't care about that, or the peeling clearcoat, or the -50% tread, or the front-end being lower than the rear, or the ravaged driver seat. None of that mattered, it had FOUR WHEEL DRIVE man! I used it on the farm quite a bit, skidding logs, pulling trees over, and hauling firewood in a trailer. I fell in love with the traction. I learned the rear axle has a limited slip, the Duratracs even though low tread had fantastic grip and cleaned well. The Dragster ride height started to bug me and I learned these typically sag in the rear, not the front. I had noticed the bright yellow shocks and spacers on the rear springs so I knew the suspension wasn't stock. I checked the front torsion springs and they were nearly maxed out. Cranking them up the rest of the way got me an inch of height in the front but it still wasn't even with the rear and the handling got super twitchy. 3-inch ball-joint spacers allowed me to relax the springs to about half their travel and still level the vehicle but they caused the upper control to just kiss the sidewall of the tire in certain parts of the travel. I knew I needed to sort this out before I bought a new set of tires so I bought some 2-inch wheel spacers that I didn't want to use if I didn't have to. I tried to come up with a good looking, factory Toyota wheel that might have the offset I need, if it exists I couldn't find it in over 6 months of searching. I did fall in love with the Trail edition wheel though, simple, clean and classy. People were popping them off their 5th Gens left and right but some were asking over $900! I missed 5 different sets that sold for under $200, including a set that went for $125 before I got a set at $280. Then I wanted Treadwrights Guard Dog in a 10-ply for it and waited months but they had an issue with their machine and didn't know when production would resume. I went with the Warden instead, the same tread pattern on every other 4Runner in my area as far back as I can remember. lol It's a great tire but I sure was looking forward to something a little different.
As far as what I want to do with it a 1.9 TDI is a must. I need diesel in my life and that is a great little motor with so much potential. The 3.0 V6 doesn't make enough power to justify the weight of two extra cylinders over the same era 4-banger. We've raced, it's a dead even snail race. It's unreliable due to head gaskets, and just a boat anchor. I could grab a newer models 3.4 and nearly bolt it right in but nobody is getting off of them with low miles. I love diesels. If I'm going to bother swapping anything there isn't another motor that will make me as happy as a diesel. I don't need to be first to get where I'm going but I'll get better mileage and have less stress when I get there knowing the TDI can easily carry the load. I will eventually rework the front and rear bumpers, probably home made plate bumpers made out of something a little lighter, they aren't going to be sliding over rocks in Moab so they just need to deflect wildlife in a way that doesn't leave me and the family stranded at night. skid plates are another story however, I'm not lifting this thing to the moon and these are only 33s so skid plates are on the to do list. I could go on and on about what I'd like to do, but I'd rather just show you once it's done. Ha Ha
Still rocking the brown cover paint over the nasty Bondo spot.
Time to get the hammer out.
